Quote for the day!

ഉന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തു-
ന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്തുന്താളെയുന്തു്

(According to legend, the very first couplet in
മഞ്ജരി inspired by which കൃഷ്ണഗാഥ was written.)

Sunday, December 18, 2011

വെറുതേ...

I can't believe it is more than a year since I posted something here. I guess, life got so busy...


Anyhow, today's word is "വെറുതേ" a prototypical mallu response - epitomized in jokes as "simbly". (e.g. why did the mallu cross the road? simbly) 


Our friend Gundert says it came from the root വെറു which means "void of, empty", whereas ശബ്ദതാരാവലി says it is the തത്ഭവം of വൃഥാ. Gundert groups it under many other വെറു words like വെറുങ്കഥ  (fable). The തത്ഭവം argument is suspiciously simple.


Which do you think is more accurate?




Tail piece: Both dictionaries agree that ചുമ്മാ comes from Telugu ജുവ്വ. Does anybody know what that means?